The 2nd World Science Fiction Convention (

Worldcon Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...

), also known as Chicon I, was held on 1–2 September 1940 at the Hotel Chicagoan in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States. The convention was chaired by Mark Reinsberg with Erle Korshak (secretary) and Bob Tucker (treasurer) as equal partners. It was organized by fans Russ Hodgkins, T. Bruce Yerke, and Walt Daugherty.

Participants

Attendance was 128.

Guests of Honor

* E. E. "Doc" Smith

Other notable participants

Also attending were

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term '' gen ...

and

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films; a pr ...

Programming and events

Masquerade

This was the first Worldcon to include a masquerade. Chicon featured two masquerades, an unofficial event held in Myrtle R. Douglas' hotel room and an official masquerade as part of the program. The official event, called the "Science Fiction Masquerade Party", was held in the evening of the first day, with Jack Speer and Milton A. Rothman as the co-masters of ceremonies. This was the first Worldcon to include an official masquerade. The winner of the Masquerade Party was

David Kyle David A. Kyle (February 14, 1919 – September 18, 2016) was an American science fiction writer and member of science fiction fandom. Professional career Kyle served as a reporter in the Air Force Reserves with the rank of lieutenant colonel, ...

wearing a

Ming the Merciless Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted as ...

costume, for which he won an ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances ...

'' original cover painting. The Ming costume was created by Leslie Perri, originally for Donald A. Wollheim. However, he considered it too undignified but brought it with him to the convention and Kyle wore it instead. In second place was Robert A. W. Lowndes wearing a Bar Senestro costume (from the novel '' The Blind Spot'' by Austin Hall and Homer Eon Flint). Other costumed attendees included guest of honor E. E. "Doc" Smith as Northwest Smith (from C. L. Moore's series of short stories), Smith's daughter Honey as Clarissa MacDougal (from Smith's own ''

Lensman The ''Lensman'' series is a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the ''Foundation'' series by Isaac Asimov. Plot The series begins ...

'' series), George Tullis as Johnny Black (from L. Sprague de Camp's series of short stories), Cyril M. Kornbluth as

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devo ...

(from

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

1933 film version), three versions of

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...

(Jack Speer, plus convention organizers Erle Korshak and Mark Reinsberg), and both

and Myrtle R. Douglas wearing the "futuristicostumes" they had previously worn to the first Worldcon.

References

External links

World Science Fiction Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Science Fiction Convention 002 1940 conferences 1940 in Illinois 1940 in the United States Culture of Chicago Science fiction conventions in the United States September 1940 events Worldcon